CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCES REMODEL OF VINTAGE PALO ALTO HOME
by Susan Golovin /
photos by Michele Lee Willson*

N

Eco-friendly
materials range
from the woven
bamboo flooring by
ECO Timber to the
dual-paned Eagle
windows, with living
room furniture by
EKLA and Urban
Woods. Glass
doorknobs from the
1927 house were
retained.
*Photos courtesy of
Reclaim; photography
by Michele Lee Willson,
styling by Laura Del Fava

erija and Jason Titus were
pretty satisfied with the 1,300square-foot, circa 1927 Palo
Alto home that they had been living
in for six years. “We really didn’t want
more space,” Nerija says.
“University Avenue is an extension of
our kitchen, and the playground down
the street is our backyard. The city is
our home.”
However, when Nerija became pregnant they decided to convert a small
office into a nursery — and, while they
were at it, deal with improving their
heating system and replace the stairway carpets that their indoor cat had
ruined.
Nerija says that they knew that the
choices they made would be guided by
their passion for the environment.
“Jason has been into alternative
energy since college,” Nerija says. “For
me, being green is more of a health
issue, but we both wanted a place that
would match our aesthetic for responsible living.” In this regard they were
well served by designer Holly Durocher

4 WINTER 2011 | home+garden design

Plumbing in the bathroom and kitchen had to
be replaced due to sewage leaks and mismatched
piping. Recycled ceramic tiles are from Artistic Tile in
San Carlos.

H O M E + G A R D E N D E S I G N

Choices for the new nursery included non-babyish colors (in no-VOC paint) and
a crib that will convert into a child’s bed.

from Reclaim in Menlo Park, who
recommended sustainable products
made in the United States (to spare
fuel) that were free of toxic chemicals.
“When we ripped up the carpets
we discovered that they were over
sub-floor, that we would have to

replace with new flooring,” Jason
says. “We wanted to use bamboo,
but that wouldn’t match the rest of
the house.”
Ultimately, because they decided
to install radiant heating, they
replaced the flooring throughout
the house. Artistic Tile in San

PAT R I C K P OW E R S
PLUMBING & CONSTRUCTION

Carlos was their source for recycled
ceramic tiles used in the bathrooms
and kitchen.
Nerija chose 18-inch square
grayish-green recycled kitchen tiles
because they matched the existing
granite counters and stainless-steel
appliances. Woven bamboo flooring from ECO Timber is used in the
rest of the house.
“It doesn’t show dents because it
has a horizontal and vertical grain,”
Jason says.
“Of course, it makes no sense to
put in new heating and not replace
the leaky windows,” he adds. Since
Nerija loved the original dividedlight windows, they did their best
to replicate them with dual-paned
Eagle windows. “We took the old
ones to be recycled,” she says.
“There was no insulation in the
house except for newspapers from
the ’30s in the attic,” Jason says.
“We chose to insulate the walls with
Airkrete, which is a foam made out
of minerals from sea water rather
continued on next page

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